"The former U.S. EPA official who tangled with Texas officials in a drilling contamination case outside Fort Worth said the state's oil and gas regulators were more interested in promoting the industry than policing it."

"The Texas Railroad Commission oversees oil and gas and hasn't overseen trains in years. But Al Armendariz, U.S. EPA's Region 6 Administrator in 2010, told officials at the headquarters that the three-member elected commission doesn't do a very good job of regulating drilling, either.

'As the state entity responsible for promoting oil/gas development, they have a difficult time separating their regulatory responsibility from their close connections to the gas/oil producers,' Armendariz wrote in an Dec. 4, 2010, email."

Mike Soraghan reports for EnergyWire February 22, 2013. [2]